New Zealand and Sweden have a tradition of friendly and cooperative relations. The countries share similar outlooks on global issues, including trade, agricultural reform, disarmament, human rights, and the environment, but what sets the country’s apart is the ‘laid-back’ lifestyle in New Zealand. People seems to work to live here, rather than live to work and people say ”hi” on the streets all the time, something that always makes my day. There isalsoarenowned Kiwi skill of rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck in to everything, ‘fixing things’. It is a creativity and openness that transcends into open discussions about societal failures, a culture that promotes and brings about change. This is sincerely true when it comes to the Daily, where I am doing my practical work.
For a lot of people stepping in to The Daily, they sense that there is something different about the place. The welcoming feeling gives them a sense of ‘coming home’ and the place vibrates sincerity. The heart of The Daily-the goodness within, is feeding community life, and you can feel that the collective of people behind The Daily are passionate about seeing people connect with each other, to develop relationships and ‘do good’ in the community. They believe that the best way to achieve relational development is by doing it every day, by real people with real people and by real support. There is a stoicism prevalent in the New Zealand psych, that comes from a tradition of the hardened-up mate culture, something that puts pressure on boys to harden up to become tough hard men, which is something that The Search Party charitable wants to address to be able to break any cycle of isolation. Rebecka, my mentor, who also is one of the funders and initiator of the Daily, wants to nurture a culture, one that is not ‘that hard culture’, by cultivating empathy with worth and love. She believes that the love of empathy is a generous and giving kind and she aspires to connect with heart. So how does one encompass heart?
Human psychology is a product of human cognition and interpersonal relations and to work effectively and in harmony, we need to overcome many challenges. An effective performance depends on interaction between psychological safety and collective intelligence. We need adrenaline to violate basic humanity, but when the adrenaline wears off, we crash into a depressed mood, unless we are able to stay resentful, with its low dose of stress hormones that keep us energized at great personal cost. Compassion on the other hand, lowers emotional reactivity and raises sensitivity to the deeper vulnerabilities of others, which in turn allows us to respect differences between self and others. It builds respect for the dignity of others. Being compassionate simply means that we dismantle the barriers that exclude and when self-compassion mediates physical and mental resources, compassion for others is empowering rather than burdensome. Rebecka believes it to be achieved when we connect and share a space in vulnerability.
Rebecka teaches about self-compassion, which is sympathy for one’s hardship or suffering, with a motivation to heal, improve, and repair. She believes that when we reveal our heart, in sincerity, with kindness, without being filtered or edited we are courageous. Courage is a heart word, derived from the Latin word cor- heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage meant ‘To speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart’. It is a core value that my mentor acts from, a value much protected and thought, which encourages an attitude of empathic ethical behavior at the Daily, championed by Rebecka.
During my Liberal Art studies, I have gained a certain interest in the quantum field and human connection. The logic of empathy is akin to the principle of quantum physics. The logic of empathy tells us there is no such thing as a purely outer independent world or a truly objective viewpoint. All practices and ways of seeing have a combination of outer and inner features. See, it has been confirmed time and again that the kind of measurements used by scientists determine the results of the experiment; in other words, the mental capacities of the participating scientist becomes part of the experimental quantum equipment, so for quantum physics as well as for empathy, the larger whole represents infinite consciousness of which the individual’s mind is a part. In other words, empathy integrates in thought and action.
Studying Liberal Arts has enabled me to reach beyond my own experiences and imagine worlds far distant in time and space and Liberal Arts in Practice has allowed me to explore my interest and gain experience in many varied facets and venues, as well as develop a holistic approach to what I can offer an organization and the world in general. The studies have changed me profoundly, given me the tools to critically review and analyze complex problems and issues in an independent manner without feeling overwhelmed, and incorporate that into my everyday life.
Sincerely
Jess
